Top-Paying Liberal Arts Majors in 2012

Three liberal arts majors had average starting salaries that topped $40,000 in 2012, according to NACE’s January 2013 Salary Survey.

The survey found that liberal arts and sciences/general studies ($43,100), history ($41,900), and English language and literature/letters ($40,200) were the top-paying liberal arts majors in 2012. (See Figure 1.)

The increases in average starting salary from those paid in 2011 for these three majors ranged from 3.9 percent for general studies to 3.6 percent for English language and literature.

Furthermore, while the average starting salary for visual and performing arts majors ($33,800) was the lowest among the liberal arts in 2012, it, too, is on the upswing, representing a 3 percent bump from the average starting salary earned by these majors in 2011.